In an Australian first, the City of Sydney will roll-out new energy-efficient LED street and park lighting, halving electricity use and carbon pollution compared to conventional lights. A consortium of General Electric and UGL were selected after a tender and will replace about 6,450 street and park lights with the new LED lights over the next three years.
The Community Energy Efficiency Program is a merit-based grant program established by the Australian Government to provide matched funding to local councils and non-profit community organisations to undertake energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits to council and community-use buildings, facilities and lighting. The program is part of the government’s plan for a Clean Energy Future. Applications close 5pm AEDST Friday 23 March 2012.
Lasy year’s All-Energy Australia exhibition was a sell out and featured over 230 exhibitors from 13 countries, filling over 3,000+ m2 of floor space. At the conference participants heard about the latest developments in the clean and renewable energy industry and its associated technologies in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The All-Energy Australia 2012 Exhibition and Conference will be held in Melbourne on 10-11 October 2012. The 2012 conference program will include international keynote presentations, case study presentations, technical updates and panel discussions – the call for papers is now open.
Held each year at 8:30pm on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour is a WWF initiative which symbolises the collective power of individuals, businesses and governments to reduce our environmental impact on this one and only planet we call home. From it’s beginnings in one city in one country – Sydney – Earth Hour has grown to millions of people in over 5000 cities across 135 countries.
For Earth Hour 2012, you can bring your community together to host an Earth Hour Unplugged fundraising event that is all about unplugged entertainment (that means no electricity!), and there are also the 2012 WWF Earth Hour Awards which are now in their second year.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made sustainable energy one of his five priorities that will guide his second 5-year term. Specifically, he will direct the United Nations to extend energy’s reach in order to combat endemic poverty. Universal access to energy, improved efficiency and enhanced deployment of renewable sources are ambitious goals, and the Secretary-General is leading a Sustainable Energy for All initiative to make them achievable.
This initiative will call for private sector and national commitments and attract global attention to the importance of energy for development and poverty alleviation. In recognition of the importance of energy access for sustainable economic development and supporting achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations General Assembly has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
The Green Savings Calculator is a free online tool that helps you work out the cost benefit of sustainable improvements to your home. With methods and data verified by RMIT’s Centre for Design, it covers popular eco-friendly building options including water saving, construction materials and energy efficiency. It can calculate potential dollar savings and carbon savings over one year or ten years, for a typical new or established house.
WhichEnergy promotes solar energy consumer choice by providing the information consumers need – including ratings of solar products and retailers. For retailers it promotes best products and best practice – as ranked independently by consumers.
London’s new Blackfriars station – which is being built on a bridge spanning the River Thames – is on its way to becoming the world’s largest solar bridge as the installation of over 4,400 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels begins. The only other known solar bridge known in the world is the Kurilpa Footbridge constructed in 2009 in Brisbane, Australia. An 1886 Victorian-era bridge is the foundation for the new Blackfriars station. A new roof will incorporate over 6,000m² of PV panels, creating the biggest solar array in London by mid 2012. The solar panels will generate an estimated 900,000kWh of electricity every year, providing 50% of the station’s energy and reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 511 tonnes per year. In addition to solar panels, other energy saving measures at the new station will include rain harvesting systems and sun pipes for natural lighting.